Paarthurnax (Skyrim)
|Base ID = }} Paarthurnax (Dragon Language: ), called "the Old One" by other dov, is the leader of the Greybeards. He served as Alduin's lieutenant during the Dragon War in the Merethic Era, during which he was said to have committed and witnessed unspeakable atrocities against mankind.Dialogue with Delphine Appearance Despite dragons being immortal, Paarthurnax shows clear signs of great age, including tattered skin on his wings and tail, broken and chipped horns and chin-spikes, dulled color in his skin and eyes, and several teeth missing. History Merethic Era Paarthurnax claims it was Alduin's false claim of godhood that turned him against his older brother.Dialogue with Paarthurnax However, Nordic legend states that it was Kyne herself who intervened, and sent Paarthurnax to assist mankind.7000 Steps Etchings Either way, Paarthurnax, along with several other Dragons, betrayed their former master and taught mankind to use the Thu'um.Dialogue with Paarthurnax Mankind eventually prevailed, and Alduin was banished from Mundus. As with all Dragons, the lust for power was innate and still strong within him and if left unchecked, he would surely revert to his old ways. To overcome this, he retired to the peak of the Throat of the World and lived in seclusion so that he could meditate and focus on the Way of the Voice, a pacifist creed developed by Jurgen Windcaller that preached the Thu'um should only be used for the worship and glory of the gods rather than martial exploits.Pocket Guide to the Empire, First Edition: Skyrim''Dialogue with Arngeir Jurgen Windcaller also founded the Greybeards, a monastic order dedicated to mastering the Way of the Voice. He built High Hrothgar, located near the peak of the Throat of the World, which served as the monastery where the Greybeards meditated and perfected their Voice. Paarthurnax became the grandmaster of the Greybeards, but continued to live in seclusion at the peak of the mountain. First Era Some time after 1E 420, he would often visit the legendary Dragon Numinex during his imprisonment in Dragonsreach. He recalls that Numinex was so lonely and disturbed by his captivity that he could not remember his own name. Fourth Era The Blades kept a record of any known surviving Dragons from the Dragon War. According to the ''Atlas of Dragons, Paarthurnax is recorded as one of the only dragons that survived. Given his history and the atrocities he committed during the Dragon War, the Blades are very keen on killing him despite contributing to mankind's victory over his own kind. Interactions The Throat of the World in background.]] After the Greybeards teach the Clear Skies shout to the Dragonborn, they use it to approach the summit of the Throat of the World, seeking Paarthurnax for information on the location of an Elder Scroll. Paarthurnax is not surprised when the Dragonborn is confused over his form as a dragon. When this is mentioned, he replies with "I am as my father Akatosh made me." He teaches the Dragonborn the Fire Breath shout. If the first word has already been learned, he will teach the second, and if the first and second words have been learned, he will teach the third one. He can also help the Dragonborn to meditate on their shouts, giving them additional perks depending on the word chosen. Alduin's Bane After the Dragonborn recovers the Elder Scroll from the Tower of Mzark and reads it at the Time Wound, Paarthurnax helps the Dragonborn in defeating Alduin. After the latter escapes to Sovngarde, Paarthurnax will devise a plan to capture a dragon in Dragonsreach to find out where Alduin has gone. Paarthurnax After the Blades learn that Paarthurnax aided Alduin during the Dragon War, they seek to kill him. When the Dragonborn mentions that Paarthurnax betrayed Alduin, the Blades will state that this simply means that he has the ability to betray them and others as well. If he is not killed, he appears for a small speech in the Epilogue. This quest will not go away until the Dragonborn kills him, or until the Greybeards are sought out afterwards, sitting at their table at High Hrothgar. They will give the Dragonborn a debriefing on their excursion to Sovngarde and battle against Alduin, and they will hint at their fate and future accomplishments. Epilogue If Paarthurnax was not killed at the request of the Blades, he appears at the Throat of the World in this quest, which is immediately after Tsun sends the Dragonborn back to Mundus upon completion of the final quest, Dragonslayer. Paarthurnax then speaks of his intent on bringing the "Way of the Voice" to all dragons and flies off. However, he can still be found perched on the mountain's Word Wall at any given time, and will still aid the Dragonborn in meditating on Shouts. Although Paarthurnax behaves at this point like an essential character, it is possible to kill him after meditating (see below) upon a shout, but a powerful Poison of Lingering Damage Health will be needed to overcome his healing rate. At such point, the Dragonborn may return to Delphine at Sky Haven Temple to further their progress on the Blades quests. Meditation Paarthurnax will guide the Dragonborn in meditating on words of power. Meditating on a word grants a perk related to that shout until the Dragonborn meditates on a different word. There are three choices: *"Fus" grants the "Force Without Effort" perk, which increases the Dragonborn's stagger resistance by 25% and causes the Dragonborn to stagger opponents 25% more. Note that this is for all forms of stagger, not just stagger relating to Unrelenting Force. *"Feim" grants the "Ethereal Spirit" perk to the Dragonborn, causing 25% faster health regeneration while ethereal. The effect is only triggered while the Become Ethereal shout is active. No constant effect is added to the active effects list. *"Yol" grants "The Fire Within" perk, which increases damage done by the Fire Breath shout by 25%. Dialogue Quotes Gallery Paarthurnax Front 2.jpg|Paarthurnax concept art Paarthurnax Side 3.jpg|Paarthurnax side view concept art Paarthurnax Head 2.jpg|Paarthurnax head concept art Paarthurnax Head 3.jpg|Paarthurnax concept art elder dragon.jpg|Paarthurnax perched Paarthurnaax.jpg Trivia *The name "Paarthurnax" translates to "Ambition-Overlord-Cruelty." *Paarthurnax claims he visited Numinex after he was captured, he also claims the dragon could not even remember his own name. *Paarthurnax is voiced by Charles Martinet, best known for his work as the voice of Mario, Luigi, Wario, and among others in the Super Mario Bros. video game franchise. *When attacked and killed before the start of the quest "Paarthurnax," he makes a pose, typical for humanoid essential NPCs. *Sometimes, one of the little girls running around Rorikstead, Sissel, may say, "I had a dream that there was a good dragon. He was old and grey but he wasn't scary." This is most likely a reference to Paarthurnax. *Despite formerly being one of Alduin's lieutenants during the Dragon War, and appearing to be a powerful dragon, Paarthurnax is relatively low-leveled compared to other dragons. *If the Dragonborn kills Paarthurnax, the Greybeards will show strong disliking towards the Dragonborn, and will no longer help them. *When the Dragonborn first meets Paarthurnax, the dragon will show a talkative nature, later apologising for his eagerness and for drawing out the conversation necessarily. *If the Dragonborn decides to kills Paarthurnax during the quest of the same name, then on the dragon's skeletal remains will be two horns even though one is broken. Bugs * When the Dragonborn is told by the Blades that Paarthurnax should be slain, Paarthurnax may remain essential. ** To remedy this, simply open the command console, click on Paarthurnax with the cursor, and enter Disable. Paarthurnax will disappear and the game will act as if he was killed. The soul will still be absorbed, sometimes with sound and sometimes without. Fast Traveling right after disabling Paarthurnax will not stop the soul from being absorbed. ** Alternatively, open the command console, click on Paarthurnax with the cursor, and enter setessential 0. Paarthurnax will be rendered as non-essential, and then enter kill to kill Paarthurnax. * During the initial conversation with Paarthurnax, his flying animation can lock up, resulting in a rapid flailing which ultimately results in his disappearance. Even with Paarthurnax gone, the conversation proceeds despite the dragon being too far away to hear. The speech can be read if subtitles are enabled. **Fix: Exit the conversation, and Paarthurnax will fly back down and land on the Word Wall he sat on before. Then, re-initiate the conversation. * When talking to Paarthurnax, he might circle up above in the air or simply exit the conversation. * Followers may attack Paarthurnax on sight. * During the fight with Alduin atop the Throat of the World, Paarthurnax may get stuck in the ground. * If Paarthurnax is attacked while teaching "Yol," he may fly off and not return. * Paarthunax may not spawn. Appearances * * de:Paarthurnax (Drache) es:Paarthurnax (Skyrim) fr:Paarthurnax (Skyrim) it:Paarthurnax (Drago) nl:Paarthurnax pl:Paarthurnax (Skyrim) ru:Партурнакс (персонаж) uk:Партурнакс (персонаж) Category:Skyrim: Creatures Category:Skyrim: Named Dragons Category:Skyrim: Essential Characters Category:Skyrim: Quest Givers Category:Skyrim: Greybeards